Use of quaternized polymerizates containing units of vinyl imidazol as a color fixing and color transfer inhibiting additive to detergent post-treatment agents and detergents

ABSTRACT

The use of polymers which comprise at least 5 mol % of quaternized 1-vinylimidazole units of the formula ##STR1## where R is C 1  -C 25  -alkyl, C 5  -C 10  -cycloalkyl or benzyl 
     R 1 ,R 2 ,R 3  are identical or different and are H, CH 3  and C 2  H 5 , and 
     X.sup.⊖  is an anion, 
     as color-fixing and color transfer-inhibiting additive to laundry aftertreatment aids and to detergents.

The invention relates to the use of polymers which comprise at least 5mol % of quaternized, unsubstituted or substituted vinylimidazole units,as color-fixing and color transfer-inhibiting additive to laundryaftertreatment aids and to detergents.

When colored textiles are washed, the dye is partly removed from thecolored textiles and transferred from the wash liquor to other fabrics.If, for example, white laundry is washed together with colored textiles,the white laundry is stained. Color detergents which comprise polymericcolor transfer inhibitors were developed to prevent transfer of theremoved textile dye from the wash liquor to the laundry. Theseinhibitors are, for example, homo- and copolymers of vinylpyrrolidoneand vinylimidazole, cf. DE-B-22 32 353 and DE-A-28 14 287.

WO-A-94/10281 discloses the use of copolymers of

(a) 1-vinylpyrrolidone and/or 1-vinylimidazole and

(b) nitrogenous, basic ethylenically unsaturated monomers in the form ofthe free bases, of the salts or in quaternized form

as additive to detergents to inhibit dye transfer during the washingprocess.

Polymers of alkyl-1-vinylimidazoles and processes for preparing them byfree-radical polymerization of alkyl-1-vinylimidazoles, in the presenceor absence of other monomers, in water or C₁ -C₄ -alcohols are disclosedin WO-A-95/15345. The polymers obtainable in this way are used asadditive to detergents to inhibit dye transfer during the washingprocess.

EP-A-0 462 806 discloses the use of cationic dye fixatives in laundryaftertreatment baths together with fabric softeners. The aftertreatmentof the laundry takes place in the washing machines normally used in thehousehold at below 40° C. The dye fixatives can, according to thestatements in the application, also be employed in nonionic detergents.The cationic fixatives retard removal of the dye from the coloredtextiles during the treatment process.

It is an object of the present invention to provide other compositionsfor suppressing dye removal and dye transfer to other textiles duringwashing and during the aftertreatment of colored textiles.

We have found that this object is achieved by the use of polymers whichcomprise at least 5 mol % of quaternized 1-vinylimidazole units of theformula ##STR2## where R is C₁ -C₂₅ -alkyl, C₅ -C₁₀ -cycloalkyl orbenzyl

R¹,R²,R³ are identical or different and are H, CH₃ and C₂ H₅, and

X.sup.⊖ is an anion,

as color-fixing and color transfer-inhibiting additive to laundryaftertreatment aids and to detergents.

The polymers to be used according to the invention usually comprise atleast 10 mol % of quaternized 1-vinylimidazole units of the formula Iand have a molecular weight of from 5000 to 1 million. The polymerspreferably employed comprise from 20 to 100 mol % of quaternized1-vinylimidazole units of the formula I and have a molecular weight offrom 10000 to 500000 (determined by light scattering).

The polymers to be employed according to the invention can be obtainedby free-radical polymerization of quaternary 1-vinylimidazoles of theformula II ##STR3## where R is C₁ -C₂₅ -alkyl, C₅ -C₁₀ -cycloalkyl orbenzyl, R¹,R²,R³ are identical or different and are H, CH₃ and C₂ H₅,and

X.sup.⊖ is an anion, preferably Cl--, Br--, I--, CH₃ OSO₃ -- or C₂ H₅0SO₃ --

in the presence or absence of other monoethylenically unsaturatedmonomers.

Examples of such monomers are

1-vinyl-2-methyl-3-benzylimidazolium chloride,

1-vinyl-2,4-dimethyl-3-benzylimidazolium chloride,

1-vinyl-2,4,5-trimethyl-3-benzylimidazolium bromide,

1-vinyl-2,4,5-trimethyl-3-ethylimidazolium chloride,

1-vinyl-2-ethyl-3-benzylimidazolium chloride,

1-vinyl-4,5-diethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride and

1-vinyl-2,4,5-triethyl-3-benzylimidazolium chloride.

The polymers to be used according to the invention can also be obtainedby quaternizing polymers which comprise 1-vinylimidazole units of theformula ##STR4## where R¹, R², R³ are identical or different and are H,CH₃ and C₂ H₅, with C₁ -C₂₅ -alkylating agents. Polymers of this typeare described, for example, in WO-A-94/10281 and WO-A-94/14861.

Examples of suitable quaternizing agents are alkyl halides such as thepreferably used C₁ -C₂₅ -alkyl chlorides or alkyl bromides, C₅ -C₁₀-cycloalkyl halides or benzyl chloride or benzyl bromide. Examples ofsuitable alkylating agents are methyl chloride, ethyl chloride, methylbromide, ethyl bromide, propyl chloride, n-propyl bromide, isopropylchloride, butyl chloride, hexyl chloride, cyclohexyl chloride, octylchloride, dodecyl chloride and stearyl chloride. C₁ -C₁₂ -Alkylchlorides or alkyl bromides, and benzyl chloride or benzyl bromide, arepreferably used as quaternizing agents.

Further suitable alkylating agents are dialkyl sulfates and alkylsulfonates. Examples of suitable dialkyl sulfates are dimethyl sulfateand diethyl sulfate. Examples of suitable alkyl sulfonates are methylmethylsulfonate and methyl toluenesulfonate. Dimethyl sulfate anddiethyl sulfate are preferred alkylating agents.

Examples of quaternized 1-vinylimidazoles of the formula II are3-methyl-1-vinylimidazolium chloride, 3-benzyl-1-vinylimidazoliumchloride, 3-ethyl-1-vinylimidazolium sulfate,3-n-dodecyl-1-vinylimidazolium bromide and3-n-octadecyl-1-vinylimidazolium chloride.

The polymers which are preferably employed comprise units of the formulaI where R¹, R², R³ =H and R is methyl, ethyl or benzyl. They comprise,for example,

(a) 25 to 100 mol % of quaternary vinylimidazoles of the formula II,

(b) 0 to 75 mol % of 1-vinylpyrrolidone, vinyloxazolidone,N-vinylcaprolactam, N-vinylamides of C₁ -C₈ -carboxylic acids,acrylonitrile, vinyl esters of C₁ -C₁₀ -carboxylic acids, acrylic estersand methacrylic esters of C₁ -C₂₀ -alcohols or mixtures of said monomersand

(c) 0 to 30 mol % of other monoethylenically unsaturated monomers

as copolymerized units.

Particularly preferred copolymers are those which comprise

(a) 40 to 100 mol % of quaternary vinylimidazoles of the formula II and

(b) 0 to 60 mol % of 1-vinylpyrrolidone, N-vinylformamide,N-vinylcaprolactam, vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate, methyl acrylate ormixtures of said monomers as copolymerized units. If the monomers ofcomponent (b) are present in the polymers, their content is preferably20 to 50 mol %.

(c) Examples of suitable monomers (c) are monoethylenically unsaturatedcarboxylic acids such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, fumaric acid,maleic acid, maleic anhydride, itaconic acid, itaconic anhydride. Othersuitable comonomers are hydroxyethyl acrylate, hydroxyethylmethacrylate, hydroxypropyl acrylate, hydroxypropyl methacrylate,hydroxybutyl acrylate, hydroxybutyl methacrylate, phenoxyethyl acrylate,dimethylaminoethyl acrylate, dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate,diethylaminoethyl (meth)acrylate, methoxyethyl acrylate.

Further suitable monomers are: (meth)acrylamide,N-methylol(meth)acrylamide, N-substituted (meth)acrylamides such asN-methyl(meth)acrylamide, N-t-butylacrylamide, diallyldimethylammoniumchloride, diallyldiethylammonium chloride,dimethylaminopropylmethacrylamide, diethylaminopropylmethacrylamide,styrene, methylstyrene, vinyl alkyl ethers such as vinyl methyl ether,vinyl ethyl ether, vinyl propyl ether, styrenesulfonate, vinylsulfonate,2-sulfoethyl methacrylate and 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid.

The polymers comprising quaternized vinylimidazole units of the formulaI are employed, for example, in amounts of from 0.05 to 2.5, preferably0.1 to 1.5, % by weight in detergents which comprise less than 4% byweight of an anionic surfactant. The polymers preferably used indetergent formulations containing anionic surfactants comprise units ofthe formula I where R¹, R², R³ =H and R is C₁ -C₂₂ -alkyl or benzyl andX is an anion. The polymers comprising quaternized 1-vinylimidazoleunits of the formula I to be used according to the invention arepreferably employed in detergents containing no anionic surfactants.Detergent formulations of these types comprise, for example,

(i) 1 to 50% by weight of at least one nonionic surfactant,

(ii) 0 to 4.0% by weight, preferably up to 2.5%, of an anionicsurfactant and

(iii) 0.05 to 2.5% by weight of at least one polymer which comprises atleast 5 mol % of quaternized 1-vinylimidazole units of the formula I.

Examples of suitable nonionic surfactants (I) are alkoxylated C₈ -C₂₂-alcohols. The alkoxylation can be carried out with ethylene oxide,propylene oxide and/or butylene oxide. The surfactants which can beemployed in this connection are all alkoxylated alcohols which compriseat least two molecules of an abovementioned alkylene oxide in theadduct. Said alkylene oxide adducts can be block copolymers of ethyleneoxide, propylene oxide and/or butylene oxide or adducts which containsaid alkylene oxides in random distribution. The nonionic surfactantscomprise, per mole of alcohol, for example 2 to 50, preferably 3 to 20mol of at least one alkylene oxide in the adduct. Ethylene oxide ispreferably employed as alkylene oxide. The alcohols are preferablyderived from compounds having 10 to 18 carbon atoms. These can benatural or synthetic alcohols.

Another class of nonionic surfactants comprises alkyl polyglucosideshaving 8 to 22, preferably 10 to 18, carbon atoms in the alkyl chain.These compounds comprise, for example, 1 to 20, preferably 1.1 to 5,glucoside units.

Another class of nonionic surfactants comprises N-alkylglucamides of thestructure I or II ##STR5## where A is C₆ -C₂₂ -alkyl, B is H or C₁ -C₄-alkyl and C is a polyhydroxyalkyl radical having 5 to 12 carbon atomsand at least 3 hydroxyl groups. It is preferred for A to be C₁₀ -C₁₈-alkyl, B to be CH₃ and C to be a C₅ or C₆ radical. Compounds of thistype are obtained, for example, by the acylation of reductively aminatedsugars with chlorides of C₁₀ -C₁₈ -carboxylic acids. The detergentformulations contain C₁₀ -C₁₈ -alcohols preferably ethoxylated with 3-12mol of ethylene oxide, particularly preferably ethoxylated fattyalcohols, as nonionic surfactants.

Further suitable and preferred surfactants are the endgroup-capped fattyamide alkoxylates, disclosed in WO-A-95/11225, of the formula

    R.sup.1 --CO--NH--(CH.sub.2).sub.n --O--(AO).sub.x --R.sup.2 (III),

where

R¹ is C₅ -C₂₁ -alkyl or -alkenyl,

R² is C₁ -C₄ -alkyl,

A is C₂ -C₄ -alkylene,

n is 2 or 3, and

x has a value from 1 to 6.

Examples of such compounds are the products of the reaction ofn-butyltriglycolamine of the formula H₂ N--(CH₂ --CH₂ --O)₃ --C₄ H₉ withmethyl dodecanoate or the products of the reaction ofethyltetraglycolamine of the formula H₂ N--(CH₂ --CH₂ --O)₄ --C₂ H₅ witha commercial mixture of saturated C₈ -C₁₈ -fatty acid methyl esters.

The powder or granular detergents may additionally contain one or morebuilders. Examples of suitable inorganic builder substances are all theconventional inorganic builders such as aluminosilicates, silicates,carbonates and phosphates.

Examples of suitable inorganic builders are aluminosilicates withion-exchanging properties such as zeolites. Various types of zeolitesare suitable, in particular zeolites A, X, B, P, MAP and HS in their Naform or in forms in which Na is partly replaced by other cations such asLi, K, Ca, Mg or ammonium. Suitable zeolites are described, for example,in EP-A-0 038 591, EP-A-0 021 491, EP-A-0 087 035, U.S. Pat. No.4,604,224, GB-A-2 013 259, EP-A-0 522 726, EP-A-0 384 070 andWO-A-94/24251.

Examples of other suitable inorganic builders are amorphous orcrystalline silicates such as amorphous disilicates, crystallinedisilicates such as the sheet silicate SKS-6 (manufactured by HoechstAG). The silicates can be employed in the form of their alkali metal,alkaline earth metal or ammonium salts. Na, Li and Mg silicates arepreferably employed.

Further suitable inorganic builder substances are carbonates andbicarbonates. These can be employed in the form of their alkali metal,alkaline earth metal or ammonium salts. Na, Li and Mg carbonates andbicarbonates, in particular sodium carbonate and/or sodium bicarbonate,are preferably employed.

The inorganic builders can be present in the detergents in amounts offrom 0 to 60% by weight, together with organic cobuilders to be usedwhere appropriate. The inorganic builders can be incorporated eitheralone or in any combination with one another into the detergent.

Powder or granular or other solid detergent formulations compriseorganic cobuilders in amounts of from 0 to 20% by weight, preferably inamounts of from 1 to 15% by weight, together with inorganic builders.Powder or granular heavy-duty detergents may additionally contain otherconventional ingredients such as bleaching systems consisting of atleast one bleach, where appropriate combined with a bleach activatorand/or a bleach catalyst, and other conventional ingredients such assoil release polymers, antiredeposition agents, enzymes, inorganicfillers such as sodium sulfate, complexing agents, optical brighteners,dyes, perfume oils, foam suppressants, corrosion inhibitors, phosphatesand/or phosphonates in the usual amounts.

The detergents preferably contain no anionic surfactants but maycomprise them as component (ii) in amounts of up to 4% by weight,preferably up to 2.5% by weight. Examples of suitable anionicsurfactants are sulfates of fatty alcohols having 8 to 22 carbon atoms,sulfated, ethoxylated C₈ -C₂₂ -alcohols and their water-soluble alkalimetal and ammonium salts. Further suitable anionic surfactants arealkylsulfonates such as C₈ -C₂₄ -alkanesulfonates, soaps such as thealkali metal salts of C₈ -C₂₄ -carboxylic acids, and N-acylsarcosinateswith C₈ -C₂₄ -acyl radicals. Also suitable as anionic surfactants arelinear C₉ -C₂₀ -alkylbenzenesulfonates (LAS). The anionic surfactantsmay also be employed, for example, in the form of thehydroxyethylammonium, di(hydroxyethyl)ammonium andtri(hydroxyethyl)ammonium salts. Preferably employed if the detergentsaccording to the invention comprise anionic surfactants are soaps,acylsarcosinates or sulfated ethoxylated C₈ -C₂₂ -alcohols.

The detergents contain according to the invention as component (iii)0.05 to 2.5, preferably 0.1 to 1.5, % by weight of at least one of thequaternized polymers described above having at least 5 mol % of units ofthe formula I.

The quaternized polymers to be used according to the invention not onlyhave a color transfer-inhibiting effect when colored textiles are washedtogether with uncolored textiles but, surprisingly, also have acolor-fixing effect. This means that the removal of dyes from coloredtextiles during the washing process is not as great as on use of othercolor transfer inhibitors such as polymers of N-vinylpyrrolidone.

Polymers comprising at least 5 mol % of quaternized 1-vinylimidazoleunits of the formula I have a pronounced color-fixing effect and,moreover, act as color transfer inhibitors in laundry aftertreatment andcare aids. The polymers comprising quaternized vinylimidazole units ofthe formula I are therefore advantageously employed in after-washtreatment compositions. Laundry aftertreatment aids comprise, forexample,

(i) 1 to 50% by weight of a fabric softener for laundry,

(ii) 1 to 50% by weight of a nonionic surfactant and

(iii) 0.1 to 2.5% by weight of polymer comprising at least onequaternized 1-vinylimidazole unit of the formula I in an amount of atleast 5 mol %.

The laundry aftertreatment aids preferably comprise as component (i) 2.5to 30% by weight of a fabric softener for laundry. Examples of suitablefabric softeners are quaternary ammonium compounds, polysiloxanes andnonionic cellulose ethers, cf., for example, EP-A-0 239 910, EP-A-0 150867 and EP-A-0 213 730. Examples of fabric softeners for laundry aredialkyldimethylammonium chlorides and alkylimidazolium methyl sulfates.

The laundry aftertreatment aids comprise as component (ii) for example 1to 50, preferably 2 to 20, % by weight of a nonionic surfactant.Nonionic surfactants have been described above as component (i) in thecomposition of the detergents. The compounds mentioned there canlikewise be employed in laundry aftertreatment aids. The laundryaftertreatment aids comprise as component (iii) 0.1 to 2.5, preferably0.2 to 2.0, % by weight of a quaternary polymer as color-fixing andcolor transfer-inhibiting additive.

The polymers to be used according to the invention achieve a maximumeffect, for example in a formulation containing no anionic surfactants,at a concentration as low as from 20 to 100 ppm in the wash liquor orthe liquor of the laundry aftertreatment aid. A further increase in theamount of the polymers used normally results in only a small furtherincrease in the effectiveness.

Unless otherwise evident from the context, the percentage data in theexamples are % by weight. The K values were determined by the method ofH. Fikentscher, Cellulose-Chemie, 13 (1932) 58-65 and 71-74 at 25° C.and with a polymer concentration of 1% by weight in 0.5 molar aqueousNaCl solution.

The following quaternary polymers were used:

Polymer 1

Copolymer of 1-vinylimidazole and 1-vinylpyrrolidone in the molar ratio55:45 which was quaternized by reaction with dimethyl sulfate to give aterpolymer with units of 1-vinylimidazole, 1-vinyl-3-methylimidazoliniummethosulfate and 1-vinylpyrrolidone in the molar ratio 45:10:45. Thequaternary polymer had a K value of 34.7.

Polymer 2

Copolymer of 1-vinylimidazole and 1-vinylpyrrolidone in the molar ratio60:40, which was quaternized by reaction with dimethyl sulfate to give aterpolymer which comprised units of 1-vinylimidazole,1-vinyl-3-methylimidazolium methosulfate and 1-vinylpyrrolidone in themolar ratio 40:20:40. The quaternized polymer had a K value of 34.8.

Polymer 3

Copolymer of 1-vinylimidazole and 1-vinylpyrrolidone in the molar ratio55:45, which was quaternized by reaction with dimethyl sulfate andbenzyl chloride to give a polymer which comprised units of1-vinylimidazole, 1-vinyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride,1-vinyl-3-benzylimidazolium chloride and 1-vinylpyrrolidone in the molarratio 45:5:5:45. The polymer had a K value of 83.3.

Polymer 4

Homopolymer of 1-vinylimidazole with a K value of 23, which wasconverted by reaction with benzyl chloride in the molar ratio 1:1 intopoly-(N-benzyl)vinylimidazolium chloride.

Polymer 5

Copolymer of 1-vinylimidazole and 1-vinylpyrrolidone in the molar ratio1:1 with a K value of 17, which was quaternized by reaction in aqueoussolution with 1 mol of benzyl chloride per mole of 1-vinylimidazole togive a copolymer which comprised units of N-benzylvinylimidazoliumchloride and 1-vinylpyrrolidone in the molar ratio 1:1.

EXAMPLES

Use in a fabric softener:

To test the color removal-reducing and color transfer-inhibiting effect,the polymers to be used according to the invention were added to acommercial laundry fabric softener. The colored fabric was prerinsedwith an aqueous solution of the fabric softener at 25° C., rinsed againwith tap water, dried and ironed. Subsequently, the pretreated coloredfabrics were washed together with white test fabrics using a commercialdetergent. The color strength of the white test fabrics compared withthe previously measured color strength was determined by the method ofA. Kud, Seifen, Ole, Fette, Wachse 119 (1993) 590-594. The colorstrengths of each of the stains on the white fabric were determined, andthe color transfer-inhibiting effect of the polymers was determinedtherefrom. To test the loss of color from the colored test fabric, thetreatment with fabric softener, subsequent washing and drying wasrepeated 5 times with the same colored fabric. The loss of color wasdetermined from the color strength of the colored fabric before thefirst wash and the color strength after the 5th wash using the followingformula: ##EQU1##

Test conditions:

Apparatus: Launder-O-meter

Colored fabric: 1.0 g of cotton fabric colored with 0.8% Direct Blue 71

White fabric: 2.5 g of cotton fabric

Pretreatment:

Fabric softener: Softlan® (manufactured by Colgate-Palmolive)Concentration of the polymers used in the fabric softener: 2.0% Amountof fabric softener used: 1.75 g/l Temperature (rinsing): 30° C. Rinsingtime: 10 min

Washing:

Detergent: Ajax® (manufactured by Colgate-Palmolive)

Amount: 5.0 g/l

Amount of liquor: 250 g

Washing temperature: 40° C.

Water hardness: 14.5° German hardness

Ca/Mg ratio: 4.0:1.0

Washing time: 30 min.

                  TABLE 1                                                         ______________________________________                                        Results of tests on the color transfer inhibition and the                       reduction in the loss of color with Direct Red 212 on cotton                                Amount in                                                        Softlan                                                                       fabric Loss of Color transfer                                                 softener color inhibition                                                    Polymer [%] [%] [%]                                                         ______________________________________                                        Ex.                                                                             1 Polymer 1 2 18.3 85.2                                                       2 Polymer 2 2 18.4 86.9                                                       3 Polymer 3 2 16.8 85.6                                                     Comparative Example                                                               1      none     --        25.1  0                                           2 PVP.sup.1) 2 25.1 48.5                                                      3 VI/VP.sup.2) 2 26.3 76.0                                                     copolymer                                                                  ______________________________________                                         .sup.1) PVP = PolyN-vinylpyrrolidone                                          .sup.2) VI/VP = 1Vinylimidazole/1-vinylpyrrolidone                       

The results with the polymers to be used according to the invention showthat the polymers show, on addition to a commercial fabric softener, abetter color transfer-inhibiting effect than on addition ofpolyvinylpyrrolidone with a molecular weight of 40000 or VI/VP copolymerwith a molecular weight of 10000. In addition, the removal of color fromthe colored fabrics is distinctly reduced, and thus there is a distinctdecrease in the fading of colored textiles on washing.

To test the polymers according to the invention in detergentformulations, the color transfer-inhibiting and color removal-reducingeffect was tested in various heavy-duty detergents and color detergents(Tables 2 and 3). In the formulation examples, the polymers according tothe invention show a distinct reduction in the color transfer anddistinctly less color removal than on use of commercial color transferinhibitors such as PVP, VI/VP copolymers or poly-4-vinylpyridineN-oxide.

                  TABLE 2                                                         ______________________________________                                                  I    II     III    IV   V    VI   VII                               ______________________________________                                        Polymer 1   1.5           1.0  0.5       0.6  0.3                               Polymer 2  1.0                                                                Polymer 3     1.0                                                             AA/MA (70000) 7.5  5.0  5.0                                                   AA/MA/VAc      5.0                                                            terpolymer (40000)                                                            Na perborate 15 15   15  7.5                                                  monohydrate                                                                   Na percarbonate   18 15  18                                                   TAED 4.0 3.8 5.0 5.0 2.9 4.2 2.0                                              Na lauryl sulfate    1.0                                                      linear Na alkyl-   0.8                                                        benzenesulfonate                                                              Sulfated fatty alcohol     1.5                                                ethoxylate                                                                    Commercial oleyl- 3.1     2.0                                                 sarcosinate in the                                                            acid form                                                                     Soap   0.4 2.5 1.5  2.4                                                       C.sub.13 /C.sub.15 oxo  3.0                                                   alcohol*3 EO                                                                  C.sub.13 /C.sub.15 oxo 7.5  4.7 18.5 8.0 6.5                                  alcohol*7 EO                                                                  C.sub.13 /C.sub.15 oxo  3.0                                                   alcohol*10 EO                                                                 C.sub.12 /C.sub.14 fatty       10.0                                           alcohol*7 EO                                                                  Lauryl alcohol*13 EO      5.0                                                 Zeolite A 25 25 15  30 15 35                                                  Zeolite P    40                                                               SKS-6   14   15                                                               Na disilicate 2.5 3.9  0.5 4.5  1.5                                           Mg silicate 1.0  0.8  1.0 1.0 0.6                                             Sodium sulfate 2.0 2.5 15.2 2.0 1.5 5.5 3.4                                   Sodium bicarbonate   9.0 6.5                                                  Sodium carbonate 12.0 13.6   10.0 8.0 9.8                                     Soil-release polymer  0.4   0.5                                               Polyethylene 1.0    0.5 0.8 1.0                                               terephthalate/                                                                oxyethylene                                                                   terephthalate                                                                 Carboxymethyl- 0.6 1.3 0.6 1.0 0.6 0.6 0.5                                    cellulose                                                                     Dequest ® 2046    0.5                                                     (phosphonate)                                                                 Citric acid  6.8 5.0   2.5 3.8                                                Lipase     1.0                                                                Protease  1.0   1.0 0.5 0.6                                                   Cellulase       0.6                                                           Water to to to to to to to                                                     100 100 100 100 100 100 100                                                ______________________________________                                         Abbreviations:                                                                TAED Tetraacetylethylenediamine                                               SKS6 Sheet silicate Na salt (manufactured by Hoechst)                         EO Ethylene oxide                                                             AA/MA (70000) = Acrylic acid/maleic acid copolymer in the ratio 70:30 by      weight, molecular weight M.sub.w = 70,000                                     AA/MA/VAc (40000) = Acrylic acid/maleic acid/vinyl acetate terpolymer in      the molar ratio 40:10:50 with molecular weight M.sub.w = 40,000               Soilrelease polymer commercial graft copolymer of vinyl acetate on            polyethylene glycol                                                      

Table 4 indicates the composition of color detergents which contain thecationic condensates to be used according to the invention.

                  TABLE 3                                                         ______________________________________                                                     VII  VIII   IX     X    XI   XII                                 ______________________________________                                        Polymer 1      1.0    1.0    0.5  1.0  0.5  0.3                                 AA/MA (70000) 6.0 4.0 3.5 2.0 2.5 8.5                                         Na lauryl sulfate   1.0                                                       Linear Na alkylbenzene-      0.5                                              sulfonate                                                                     Sulfated fatty alcohol    1.5                                                 ethoxylate                                                                    Commercial oleylsarcosinate     2.0                                           in the acid form                                                              Soap 2.5  1.0 1.5 1.5                                                         C.sub.13 /C.sub.15 oxo alcohol*3 EO  10.0   1.5                               C.sub.13 /C.sub.15 oxo alcohol*7 EO 6.7  16.0 13.5 14.0 7.5                   C.sub.13 /C.sub.15 oxo alcohol*10 EO  6.3                                     Lauryl alcohol*13 EO    2.0  9.0                                              Zeolite A 28 55 35  37 18                                                     Zeolite P    36                                                               SKS-6   12                                                                    Na disilicate 4.5   0.5 4.5                                                   Mg silicate 1.0  1.0  1.0 1.0                                                 Sodium sulfate 24 5.8 11.5 8.0 4.5 10.0                                       Sodium bicarbonate   6.5 6.5                                                  Sodium carbonate 12.0 6.0   10.0 9.0                                          Carboxymethylcellulose 0.6 0.5 0.6 1.0 0.6 0.6                                Sokalan ® HP 22 1.0     0.5                                               Polyethylene terephthalate/   1.0 0.5  0.5                                    oxyethylene terephthalate                                                     Sodium citrate 2.0 9.0    2.5                                                 Protease 0.5     1.0                                                          Cellulase 1.0  1.0  0.8 1.0                                                   Water to to to to to to                                                        100 100 100 100 100 100                                                    ______________________________________                                         For abbreviations, see legend to Table 2                                 

The effect of polymers 4 and 5 in a detergent composition with a lowanionic surfactant content is illustrated in the following examples. Thetest conditions chosen for this were as follows:

Apparatus: Launder-O-meter

Colored fabric: 1.0 g of cotton fabric colored with 0.8% Direct Blue 71

White fabric: 2.5 g of cotton fabric

Detergent composition in % (detergent A)

C_(13/15) oxo alcohol *7 EO 15.0

Zeolite A 50.0

Sodium carbonate 10.0

Sodium citrate 9.0

Sulfated C_(12/14) fatty alcohol ethoxylate *3 EO 1.0

Commercial oleylsarcosinate in the acid form 2.0

Polymer of 70% acrylic acid and 30% maleic acid, Na salt, molecularweight 70000 4.0

carboxymethylcellulose 0.5

Water to 100

Washing:

Detergent: detergent A

Amount: 5.0 g/l

Amount of liquor: 250 g

Water temperature: 60° C.

Water hardness: 14.50 German hardness

Ca/Mg ratio: 4.0:1.0

Washing time: 30 min

                  TABLE 4                                                         ______________________________________                                        Results of tests on color transfer inhibition and reduction in                  the loss of color with Direct Blue 71 on cotton                                             Amount in   Loss of                                                                             Color transfer                                 detergent A color inhibition                                                 Polymer [%] [%] [%]                                                         ______________________________________                                        Ex.                                                                             4 Polymer 4 1 16.2 99.6                                                       5 Polymer 5 1 12.7 98.2                                                     Comparative Example                                                               4      none     --        9.6   0                                           5 VI/VP.sup.1) 1 20.9 99.3                                                     copolymer                                                                  ______________________________________                                         .sup.1) VI/VP = 1Vinylimidazole/1-vinylpyrrolidone                       

The results with polymers 4 and 5 to be used according to the inventionshow that the polymers have, with detergent A with a low anionicsurfactant content, a very good color transfer-inhibiting effect and,furthermore, have distinctly less of a color-removing effect than thenon-quaternized VI/VP copolymer with a molecular weight of 10000.

We claim:
 1. A process for inhibiting dye removal and color transferfrom colored textiles during the aftertreatment of and/or washingprocess for these textiles, which comprises adding to laundryaftertreatment aids and/or to detergents a polymer which consists of:(a)5 to 100 mol % of quaternized 1-vinylimidazole units represented byformula (I): ##STR6## wherein R is C₁ -C₂₅ -alkyl, C₅ -C₁₀ -cycloalkylor benzyl,R¹, R², R³ are identical or different and are H, CH₃ or C₂ H₅,and X.sup.⊖ is an anion, (b) 0 to 75 mol % of 1-vinylpyrrolidone,vinyloxazolidone, N-vinylcaprolactam, N-vinylamides of C₁ -C₈-carboxylic acids, vinyl esters of C₁ -C₁₀ -carboxylic, acids, acrylicesters and methacrylic esters of C₁ -C₂₀ -alcohols or mixtures of saidmonomers as copolymerized units, and (c) 0 to 30 mol % of othermonoethylenically unsaturated monomers selected from the groupconsisting of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid,maleic anhydride, itaconic acid, itaconic anhydride, hydroxyethylacrylate, hydroxyethyl methacrylate, hydroxypropyl acrylate,hydroxypropyl methacrylate, hydroxybutyl acrylate, hydroxybutylmethacrylate, phenoxyethyl acrylate, and methoxyethyl acrylate ascopolymerized units.
 2. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein thepolymer consists of at least 10 mol % of quaternized 1-vinylimidazoleunits represented by formula I and have molecular weights of from 5000to 1 million.
 3. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the polymerconsists of from 20 to 100 mol % of quaternized 1-vinylimidazole unitsrepresented by formula I and have molecular weights of from 10000 to500000.
 4. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the polymer consistsof units represented by formula I wherein R¹, R², R³ =H and R is methyl,ethyl or benzyl.
 5. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the polymerconsists of quaternized vinylimidazole units represented by formula I inamounts of from 0.05 to 2.5% by weight in detergents which comprise lessthan 4% by weight of an anionic surfactant.
 6. A process as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the polymer consists of quaternized vinylimidazoleunits represented by formula I in detergents containing no anionicsurfactants.
 7. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the polymerconsists of units of the formula I where R¹, R², R³ =H and R is C₁ -C₂₅-alkyl or benzyl and X is an anion.
 8. A process as claimed in claim 1,wherein the polymer consists of units of the formula I where R¹, R², R³=H and R is C₄ -C₂₂ -alkyl or benzyl and X is an anion.
 9. A process asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the polymer is obtained by free-radicalpolymerization of(a) 5 to 100 mol % quaternary 1-vinylimidazolesrepresented by formula (II): ##STR7## wherein R is C₁ -C₂₅ -alkyl, C₅-C₁₀ -cycloalkyl or benzyl,R¹,R²,R³ are identical or different and areH, CH₃ and C₂ H₅, and X.sup.⊖ is an anion, (b) 0 to 75 mol % of1-vinylpyrrolidone, vinyloxazolidone, N-vinylcaprolactam, N-vinylamidesof C₁ -C₈ -carboxylic acids, vinyl esters of C₁ -C₁₀ -carboxylic acids,acrylic esters and methacrylic esters of C₁ -C₂₀ -alcohols or mixturesof said monomers, and (c) 0 to 30 mol % of other monoethylenicallyunsaturated monomers selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid,methacrylic acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid, maleic anhydride, itaconicacid, itaconic anhydride, hydroxyethyl acrylate, hydroxyethylmethacrylate, hydroxypropyl acrylate, hydroxypropyl methacrylate,hydroxybutyl acrylate, hydroxybutyl methacrylate, phenoxyethyl acrylate,and methoxyethyl acrylate,or by quaternization of polymers which consistof (a) 5 to 100 mol % 1-vinylimidazole units represented by formula(III): ##STR8## wherein R¹, R², R³ are identical or different and are H,CH₃ and C₂ H₅, with C₁ -C₂₅ -alkylating agents, and (b) 0 to 75 mol % of1-vinylpyrrolidone, vinyloxazolidone, N-vinylcaprolactam, N-vinylamidesof C₁ -C₈ -carboxylic acids, vinyl esters of C₁ -C₁₀ -carboxylic acids,acrylic esters and methacrylic esters of C₁ -C₂₀ -alcohols or mixturesof said monomers, and (c) 0 to 30 mol % of other monoethylenicallyunsaturated monomers selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid,methacrylic acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid, maleic anhydride, itaconicacid, itaconic anhydride, hydroxyethyl acrylate, hydroxyethylmethacrylate, hydroxypropyl acrylate, hydroxypropyl methacrylate,hydroxybutyl acrylate, hydroxybutyl methacrylate, phenoxyethyl acrylate,and methoxyethyl acrylate as copolymerized units.
 10. A process asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the polymer is a quaternized homopolymer of1-vinyl imidazole.
 11. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein thepolymer is a quaternized copolymer of 1-vinylimidazole and1-vinylpyrrolidone.